For the fourth reflection exercise I would like you to reflect on the artistic m

For the fourth reflection exercise I would like you to reflect on the artistic medium of music, and in this example we will be exposed to the rap genre. To do this I would like you to listen to a song entitled “Letter to the Free” by Common. He is a well-known rapper in America, and you can read more about his work and contributions to the entertainment industry in the following bio:
Bio of Common by Links to an external site.Steve Huey Links to an external site.:
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“Common has been one of the most highly influential figures in rap music, keeping the sophisticated lyrical technique and flowing syncopations of jazz-rap alive as commercial trends have threatened to obliterate the style’s advancements. The Chicago MC’s outward-looking, nimbly performed rhymes and political consciousness haven’t always fit the fashions of rap trends, but his albums have consistently hit the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop chart and been praised by critics. Since achieving mainstream popularity with the gold-selling full-lengths Like Water for Chocolate Links to an external site. (2000), Be Links to an external site. (2005), and Finding Forever Links to an external site. (2007), Common has juggled his recording career with a series of high-profile acting roles. This hasn’t hindered the reception of his subsequent output, which includes Nobody’s Smiling Links to an external site. (2014) — his third Top Ten album — and the two-part A Beautiful Revolution Links to an external site. (2020-2021). Common is a three-time Grammy winner for the Erykah Badu Links to an external site. collaboration “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop),” the Kanye West Links to an external site.-produced “Southside,” and his and John Legend Links to an external site.’s “Glory,” which also won an Academy Award.
Common was born Lonnie Rashied Lynn on the South Side of Chicago. He honed his skills to the point where — performing as Common Sense Links to an external site. — he was able to catch his first break, winning The Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype contest. He debuted in 1992 with the single “Take It EZ,” which appeared on his Relativity-released debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? Links to an external site.; further singles “Breaker 1/9” and “Soul by the Pound” helped establish his reputation in the hip-hop underground. Common Sense Links to an external site. consequently wound up on the Relativity label for his 1994 follow-up, Resurrection Links to an external site., which crystallized his reputation as one of the underground’s best (and wordiest) lyricists. The track “I Used to Love H.E.R.” attracted substantial notice for its clever allegory about rap’s descent into commercially exploitative sex-and-violence subject matter, and even provoked a short-lived feud with Ice Cube Links to an external site.. Subsequently, Common Sense Links to an external site. was sued by a ska band of the same name, and was forced to shorten his own moniker to Common; he also relocated from Chicago to Brooklyn.
Common issued the first album under his new name in 1997. One Day It’ll All Make Sense Links to an external site. capitalized on the fledgling resurgence of intelligent hip-hop with several prominent guests, including Lauryn Hill Links to an external site., Q-Tip Links to an external site., De La Soul Links to an external site., Erykah Badu Links to an external site., Cee-Lo, and the Roots Links to an external site.’ Black Thought Links to an external site.. The album was well-received in the press, and Common raised his profile with several notable guest spots over the next couple of years. He appeared on Pete Rock Links to an external site.’s Soul Survivor Links to an external site., plus two high-watermark albums of the new progressive hip-hop movement, Mos Def Links to an external site. and Talib Kweli Links to an external site.’s Black Star Links to an external site. and the Roots Links to an external site.’ Things Fall Apart Links to an external site.. Common also hooked up with indie rap kingpins Rawkus for a one-off collaboration with Sadat X Links to an external site., “1-9-9-9,” which appeared on the label’s seminal Soundbombing, Vol. 2 Links to an external site. compilation.
With his name popping up in all the right places, Common landed a major-label deal with MCA, and brought on Roots Links to an external site. drummer Questlove as producer for his next project. Like Water for Chocolate Links to an external site. was released in early 2000 and turned into something of a breakthrough success, attracting more attention than any Common album to date (partly because of MCA’s greater promotional resources). Guests this time around included Macy Gray Links to an external site., MC Lyte Links to an external site., Cee-Lo, Mos Def Links to an external site., D’Angelo Links to an external site., jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove Links to an external site., and Afro-beat star Femi Kuti Links to an external site. (on a tribute to his legendary father, Fela Links to an external site.). Plus, the singles “The Sixth Sense” and “The Light” (the latter of which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance) earned considerable airplay. Following that success, Common set the stage for his next record with a featured appearance on Erykah Badu Links to an external site.’s 2002 Top Ten pop hit “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop),” which won that year’s Grammy for Best R&B Song. He issued his most personal work to date with Electric Circus Links to an external site., a sprawling album that polarized fans, in December of that year. Shortly thereafter, he initiated an acting career that began with a small role on the television series Girlfriends.
Be Links to an external site., a much tighter album that was produced primarily by Kanye West Links to an external site. and released through West Links to an external site.’s GOOD Music label, followed in 2005 and netted four Grammy nominations. West Links to an external site. remained on board for both 2007’s Finding Forever Links to an external site. — featuring “Southside,” winner of that year’s Grammy for Best Rap Performance — and the following year’s lighter Universal Mind Control Links to an external site., though the Neptunes Links to an external site. dominated the latter. For The Dreamer/The Believer Links to an external site., released in 2011 through Warner Bros., Common worked exclusively with longtime associate and friend No I.D. Much of the attention was directed at “Sweet,” a track on which Common took swipes at rapper Drake Links to an external site.. The same year, the AMC series Hell on Wheels debuted with Common as one of its main characters, emancipated slave Elam Ferguson. After the show’s third season, Common released his tenth album — his first for Def Jam — titled Nobody Smiling Links to an external site.. Much of the 2014 release focused on the destructive violence that was occurring within his hometown. His fourth Rap Albums number one, it debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was also his fourth consecutive album nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy.
Common continued to alternate between film and music, and occasionally combined the careers to acclaimed effect. Featured in the Ava DuVernay Links to an external site.-directed Selma Links to an external site., Common co-wrote and performed the historical drama’s theme, “Glory,” with John Legend Links to an external site.. At the 87th Academy Awards, it won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and it also won the 2016 Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. In 2016, following additional roles in films such as Run All Night Links to an external site. and Suicide Squad Links to an external site., Common released Black America Again Links to an external site. — its first single and title track a fiery examination of institutionalized racism and police brutality with a refrain from Stevie Wonder Links to an external site.. Bilal Links to an external site., Marsha Ambrosius Links to an external site., and BJ the Chicago Kid Links to an external site. were among the other contributors to the album, which became Common’s eighth consecutive Top Ten R&B/hip-hop album. In 2019, after several more film and television roles — and a collaborative LP with Karriem Riggins Links to an external site. and Robert Glasper Links to an external site. under the name August Greene Links to an external site. — Common published a memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, and released his twelfth solo LP, Let Love Links to an external site.. Initially intended to be issued in early 2021, but brought forward digitally to coincide with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, his next release, A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 1 Links to an external site., featured guest spots from the likes of Stevie Wonder Links to an external site., Chuck D Links to an external site., and Lenny Kravitz Links to an external site.. A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2 Links to an external site. was issued in September 2021 with appearances from Brittany Howard Links to an external site. and Seun Kuti Links to an external site.. Both volumes of A Beautiful Revolution Links to an external site. were produced by Riggins Links to an external site., introduced by poet Jessica Care Moore Links to an external site., and assisted by singer/songwriter PJ Links to an external site..”
Before you listen to the song, please note that Common does use the n-word. Please read the piece I posted after this reflection assignment by Ijeoma Oluo in regards to who is entitled to use such language and who isn’t.
“Letter to the Free” by Common:

Lyrics:
Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from
Barren souls, heroic songs unsung
Forgive them Father they know this knot is undone
Tied with the rope that my grandmother died
Pride of the pilgrims affect lives of millions
Since slave days separating, fathers from children
Institution ain’t just a building
But a method, of having black and brown bodies fill them
We ain’t seen as human beings with feelings
Will the U.S. ever be us? Lord willing!
For now we know, the new Jim Crow
They stop, search and arrest our souls
Police and policies patrol philosophies of control
A cruel hand taking hold
We let go to free them so we can free us
America’s moment to come to Jesus
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
The caged birds sings for freedom to bring
Black bodies being lost in the American dream
Blood of black being, a pastoral scene
Slavery’s still alive, check Amendment 13
Not whips and chains, all subliminal
Instead of ‘n*&%#@’ they use the word ‘criminal’
Sweet land of liberty, incarcerated country
Shot me with your ray-gun
And now you want to trump me
Prison is a business, America’s the company
Investing in injustice, fear and long suffering
We staring in the face of hate again
The same hate they say will make America great again
No consolation prize for the dehumanized
For America to rise it’s a matter of Black Lives
And we gonna free them, so we can free us
America’s moment to come to Jesus
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Freedom (Freedom)
Freedom come (Freedom come)
Hold on (Hold on)
Won’t be long (Won’t be long)
Source: Musixmatch Links to an external site.
Songwriters: Lonnie Lynn / Robert Glasper / Karriem Riggins
Letter to the Free lyrics © Karriem Riggins Music, Think Common Music Inc
Common’s Interpretation:

Instructions for the Assignment:
Now that you have some insight into who the rapper is, and have listened to his song as well as his interpretation of it, I would like you to write your reflection.
Your reflections should consist of three components:
1. Please explain what you think the primary message of the song is. To assist you in this endeavor, here are some guiding questions:
-What do you think Common is trying to say with this piece?
-What purpose do you think this message serves for the listener?
-Do you think his identity as an African-American male serves to convey something in itself?
2. Identify some themes Common covers in his song. Explain what they are and what message they are trying to serve when it comes to supporting his over all message.
3. Once you have addressed these questions and have a better understanding of the significance of his song, I would like you to reflect on how this piece speaks to you in a personal way. In what ways did it resonate with you, and in what ways did it not? How did it speak to you, and what you’ve experienced in your own life or that of those you love and/or are familiar with or Americans at-large?
4. We read Damon Powell’s work this week on Black aesthetics. Please write about the significance of Common’s work and the message he is conveying to America in light of the insights Powell provides in his article.
Your reflection should be a minimum of two full pages (per the journal template formatting). Please keep in mind that this exercise is designed not only to expose you to different styles of art and artistry, but also to prepare you for the type of reflection and writing that will be required for your final paper assignment.